New Life
by Miyazaki A2
Summary: The Sequal to Breathing. Sakura's subconscious deals with switching from Sasuke to Lee through dreams, while she also goes on a mission to Suna. LeeSaku SakuLee. Mentions of InoChou, NejiTen, and Hints of ShikaTema.
1. RedEyed Demon

I have a life again.

Months—wonderful, joy-filled months—pass too quickly. No matter how hard I try to hold on to the time, make it last just a little longer, it passes, and a new day begins. I am so used to the time being so long in Lee-kun's absence that I will now have to desensitize myself to this disconcerting speed. Because, you see, Lee-kun's absence is now a rarity.

I realize that I am now going regular time, not slow-mo. Strange.

* * *

_**I look at him. He looks at me. I frown. He smirks. That smirk is the most terrifying thing I've ever seen. I want to scream.**_

_**His red eyes bore holes into my skull, and I fear for my life.**_

_**Where is my green protector? Can't he tell that I'm in terrible danger, a worse danger than ever before?**_

"_**Sakura-chan," the shadow of the man I once loved says. His voice is so different from the one that I once adored that I cannot feel relief that he recognizes me.**_

_**I want to run.**_

_**He steps forward, his arms outstretched. I cannot move. He wraps me in a tight embrace, and his name escapes my stony lips.**_

"_**Sasuke."**_

"_**That's right," he says in his horrifying new voice. "Now, aren't you glad I got rid of that green idiot? Now you're all mine."**_

"_**Lee-kun?!" I whisper.**_

* * *

"Lee-kun!" I scream, sitting up immediately. "Leeeeee-kuun! Please no, LEEEEEEEEEE-KUUUUN!"

My mother runs into the room, her eyes bugging out of her skull. "Sakura?" she shouts over my wailing.

"Not Lee-kun!" I bellow, burying my face in my hands, sobbing. "Not him, too!"

"What's wrong with Lee?" Kaa-san asks, sitting in front of me. She grabs my wrists and moves my hands from my tearstained eyes. "Oh, baby," she says, wrapping me up in her arms, "it was just a nightmare."

"But Lee-kun—"

"—is fine. It was just a dream, honey. I promise."

I rub my eyes. The tears cease, and I begin to notice the brightness filtering into my bedroom. So much different from the dark bleakness of my dream.

I have to see him, to make sure he really is alright. He should be returning from a mission today. Maybe I'll meet him at the gate.

"Arigato, Kaa-san," I say, pushing her arms away and standing up. "I'm going to go shower." I wonder if she's noticed the light sheen of sweat on my brow.

It's been almost a year since a nightmare has made me scream. I feel like such a baby. I stalk to the bathroom with a scowl on my face.

* * *

After I'm dressed, I head straight to the village gate. I'll wait here all day if I have to. I _must_see him. I have to see if the red-eyed demon really _did_do away with my reason for being.

In-ha-le. Ex-ha-le. My breathing is strained as I try not to let my nightmare get to me. It is irrational—childish, even—to let a dream scare me this way, but I can't help it. A nightmare's a nightmare.

Besides, he'll probably enjoy seeing me. He'd tried to get me assigned to the same mission, but Tsunade-sama hadn't wanted to have to pay one more salary than required for the mission.

Sigh.

"Waiting for something, Sakura-chan?" comes a voice from behind.

I turn my face a little to the side, and I see Ino-chan out of the corner of my eye.

"Hai," I say.

"Lee-san?"

"Hai."

"Why?"

_**Because I need to make sure that the object of our previous affections hasn't run a sword through his gut. Duh, why else?**_

"I just want to see him."

"They probably won't be back for awhile," Ino-chan says, and I turn to face her.

"And?"

"Don't you think you'll get bored waiting?" She raises her delicate blonde eyebrows.

"I might," I admit. "But it's the end product I care about."

She smiles. "You really love Lee-san, don't you?"

I smile in response. "More than anything. More than I loved…" I don't finish my sentence, but she understands.

Suddenly, she grins. "Guess what!" she demands.

"What?" I ask, shocked by her expression.

"Someone sent me a rose!"

"Who?"

She shrugs.

"Shouldn't you know who? I mean, you do _work_at the flower shop, don't you? Couldn't you just look back on whoever's bought a rose recently?"

Her face crumples into a frown, and the contrast between her current and previous expressions is nearly comical. "As if I haven't thought of that, Forehead." She sighs. "I was off-duty the day it was bought, and my mother refuses to tell me who bought it." She grins again. "But a rose is a rose, right?"

I nod, smiling.

"Well, I've got to get back to the shop. Wanna come? Maybe find a nice 'welcome home' flower for Lee-san?"

"Hai. I think I will." After all, Ino-chan is right. He probably won't be home until this afternoon.

* * *

I end up buying a bouquet of white heathers.

"Uh, arigato, Sakura-chan," she says, looking incredulously at all the money in her hand. "You sure do go all-out for the guy you love, don't you?"

"I miss him," I reply, shrugging indifferently.

"Do you mind if I ask you a question?"

"Shoot."

"Why white heathers?"

I smile. "He'll know."

She smiles, looking a little disappointed.

I hear a tinkle from the bell over the door, and turn to see Akimichi Chouji in the doorway. He sees Ino-chan, and his face turns red.

"Ohayo, Chouji-kun," Ino-chan says cheerfully, and at the moment, their eyes meet, I see a familiar expression change Chouji-kun's features. I've never seen this face on Chouji-kun, but I've seen it a million times…on Lee-kun when he looks at me.

So Chouji-kun loves more than just a good meal.

"Ohayo, Ino-chan," he replies, still red-faced.

I take one look at Ino-chan's face and know that she will not hesitate to accept Chouji-kun's affection. I only wonder when he'll come out and say it…

I decide to give them a little privacy.

"Ja, Ino-chan. Ja, Chouji-kun," I say as I walk towards the door.

Ino-chan sends me a _ja_ but her secret admirer doesn't seem to notice anything but the blonde in front of him.

I walk back to the village gate with a smile, lighthearted and maybe a little lightheaded.

I stand in front of the gate.

Impatient.

Away from the calming aroma of Ino-chan's flower shop, anxiety starts to sink back into me.

I have to breathe.

I can't.

I'm too scared.

Why do I have this feeling of dread? It was just a dream, right? Dreams don't mean anything.

Right?

Inhale.

The breath catches in my throat as I see the green smudge on the horizon, flanked by a whitish and a pinkish smudge. I smile instantly, and hold the bouquet closer to my body. The smudges get progressively bigger, as if he's running to meet me.

But something is wrong. There is only one green smudge, there is too much green, and said green smudge is much too top-heavy. Running too slowly, as if carrying a heavy burden.

No.

A terribly selfish thought creeps into my mind.

_**Please let Lee-kun be carrying Gai-sensei. Please, Kami-sama, let Gai be the injured one! Please!**_

Finally, they are close enough to show me the last thing I want to see.

Gai-sensei looks furious and agonized at the same time. Tenten-san looks desperate, and Neji-san does not look like himself. He looks as though a…brother…is in danger.

Finally, I see my green love cradled in his sensei's arms. He is unconscious, and his face is too pale, too sallow, like he's lost a lot of blood.

My knees shake.

His taijutsu suit has been torn up to his knees, and blood-soaked bandages replace his usual legwarmers. The same goes for his arms. There is a slash on his neck, just missing his jugular.

Gai-sensei rushes past me, and I feel Lee-kun's hand graze my cheek. This pushes me over the edge. My knees buckle and darkness consumes me.

Exhale.

**_Please, no._**

* * *

**__**

A2 here. I'd like to take this space to thank those who reviewed and/or favved my first fic, Breathing. It gave me the confidence--and the initiative--to edit this first chapter enough so that it was semi-presentable. I've still got to work on the next few chapters, but i wanted to get the ball rolling. Sorry for the length (or lack thereof). I tried to find a good place to cut it off, and this was it.

Again, thank you so much to those who took/take the time to review. it makes me a happy A2, and a happy A2 makes a happy, fluffy story. ;-)


	2. At Least You Have Your Health

"Sakura-san?"

It is not the voice I crave, so I do not stir. Do not open my eyes. Do not breathe.

Why?

Why can't it be someone else? Why does it have to be Lee-kun? How many loves do I have to lose before I finally die? Why must I be played with like this? I finally get my heart back, and I lose it again in a matter of months.

_**Why?!**_

"Sakura-san, wake up!"

Who does this girl think she is? Can't she see I'd be better off if she just left me here to die?

The ground disappears from beneath my head, and I unwillingly open one eye. I see Tenten-san. She looks at me with the same desperate eyes as earlier.

"Hai?" I mumble brokenly.

"Are you okay?"

"No."

She lets out a puff of frustrated air from her nostrils.

"Lee-kun…is he…?"

"Not yet. That's why you need to get up. His injuries are extensive. We need another medical nin."

I am instantly alert and on my feet. I race towards the Konoha Hospital, praying that Tsunade-sama's training has been enough for me to save Lee-kun.

Tenten-san is next to me in an instant, running as fast as her legs will carry her.

"How did this happen?!" I demand.

"There was an ambush on our way back. I don't know how it happened. Lee-kun was right in the middle of it, and there were so many…it was so fast…we were barely able to get him away from it all. He wanted to keep fighting, said they had disrespected us or some nonsense. He was delirious with blood loss. He'd already gotten hurt before the ambush, and…I don't know. He fell unconscious just half an hour ago. None of us are medical nin, so all we could do was wrap him up while Neji-kun punished the attackers." She pauses, her expression horrified. "There was so much blood."

That is when I notice the bandage on her face, and the blood staining the sleeve of her shirt.

"You're injured, too."

"I'll be fine. It's Lee-kun you have to worry about. Like I said, he was in the very middle, so he got the worst of it."

"Are his wounds fatal?"

She doesn't answer, but her face pales. I take that as my answer and push myself to go even faster.

My heart beats erratically as if it wants the darkness back.

I can barely breathe.

* * *

"What's the damage?" I demand as I burst into the operation room.

A medical nin looks at me and nods in gratitude. "He has a fracture in all four of his limbs, and he has an infection in his right leg. He has a crack in his skull and three broken ribs. We've already fixed the slash to the throat."

"Thank God," I say as I see how hard the nin are working to save my love. "I'll stabilize the infection," I say, starting up the green glow in my hands.

"Has Lady Hokage given you your infection training already?" he asks, shocked.

"Hai."

"I'm impressed. She must be very proud of you."

I nod, trying to drown out his voice. I can feel the infection, the little monsters inside of my Lee-kun. They bite at my intruding hands, and I feel a little of the sickness enter my own body. I send shots of chakra at them, making sure not to hit the broken bone. This kind of chakra will only increase the damage, not fix it. Once the infection is gone, then I'll work on the bone.

"How's his breathing?" I ask.

The nin working on his ribs replies, "Stable."

"Good."

The infection burns up under my steady hand.

"And the fever?"

"38.33˚."

Damn. I'll have to hold back a little. The last of the infection sizzles under my palm. "Now?"

"It's falling."

"Good."

Now for the bone.

The green around my hand lightens as I reconnect the individual cells of the bone. The cells are damaged, so I have to dispose of them before they can re-infect Lee-kun's system. It is difficult to create the new cells, but I manage to do it. Soon, the fibers reconnect, and I can practically hear the click of the bone as it fixes itself.

I laugh. "I did it!" I say quietly. I am a little winded, and I can feel the beads of sweat on my brow. I must not have a whole lot of chakra left.

Before I start on the surface wounds, I risk a glance at Lee-kun's sallow face. Mistake. He looks so pitiful, so broken. So…pale. It nearly breaks my heart, so I quickly redirect my attention to reconnecting the skin cells as fast as I can. I've always hated working with surface wounds; the skin gets so sticky when damaged, and I can't stand how the blood seeps out because of the pressure you have to put on it to put it back together. I would almost rather do it the old-fashioned needle-and-thread way.

When the skin finally just has a clean, yet huge, scar to remind me of the damage it once had, I am sure I am out of chakra.

"I think you're done for now, kiddo," the doctor working on his left leg says. "Why don't you take a break, give your chakra system a nice rest. You done good, kid."

"Arigato," I say, walking over to lean on the wall. "You'll understand if I don't want to leave him, right?"

"Hai," the nin says, and keeps working.

Everybody looks about done. Lee-kun will be unconscious for a while, so I guess I'll just have to wait this tragedy out.

For the first time in what seems like an eternity, I can breathe.

Inhale. Exhale.

My heart beats steadily in my chest.

Maybe I'm not so bad off. At least I could help to save him. Maybe nobody's trying to take my heart away, after all.

My thoughts drift to my bouquet, how happy he'll be when I give it him.

Wait.

I look around, not seeing it anywhere.

Damn. I must not have picked it up in my haste. There goes the last three weeks' allowance. And now I'll have to go replace them. Me and my klutziness.

At least Lee-kun's okay.

* * *

"So you need _another_bouquet of white heathers?" Ino-chan says, raising one eyebrow. "What happened to the first one?"

I shrug. "Lost it."

"Jeez, you're such a klutz. You'd lose your head if it wasn't screwed on."

"You sound like my mother," I complain, pulling out my wallet to pay for this newest collection of expensive flowers.

"Ah, just take them," Ino-chan says, yawning. "You can pay me later, I guess. How's Lee-san?"

"He's still out-cold, but he'll be fine once he wakes up." I smile as she hands me the new bouquet. "So…what did Chouji-kun want?"

She immediately frowns. "He didn't say anything. He left about five seconds after you did, with his face all red. I wonder if I did anything to upset him. I don't know how I could. All I said was _ohayo_. Maybe he's sick…"

"Lovesick," I mutter, laughing.

"What did you say, Forehead?"

I frown briefly at her nickname for me, but then I smile again. "You honestly don't see it?"

"See what?"

I've never seen Ino-chan so clueless.

I decide to play with her a little.

"Well, then maybe I'm wrong. Because you know _everything_."

"What are you _wrong about_?" she demands, her voice squeaking a little.

"Well…no, never mind. It's just…maybe Chouji-kun…well, maybe not."

She is confused. "Chouji-kun?"

I sigh. "Listen, Ino-pig, I don't have time to explain love to you. I've got to go see Lee-kun."

And with that, I slip out of the shop, leaving her with an oddly thunderstruck expression on her face.

When I round the corner, I hear "WHAT THE HELL DOES _THAT _MEAN, BILLBOARD-BROW?!"

I laugh and hurry to the hospital.

* * *

I put the white heathers in a vase and settle down into the faux-leather chair by his hospital bed. He looks so fragile while he sleeps. Sometimes people look peaceful when they sleep, but not Lee-kun, not now. He just looks exhausted.

"LEE!" comes a voice from the doorway.

I turn around irritably to see Gai-sensei blocking the threshold.

"Shh," I hiss, looking back at Lee-kun. "Shouting won't do anybody any good."

"Is he alright?" Gai-sensei asks, rushing to Lee-kun's side, worried for his protégé.

"He'll be fine. I oversaw his treatment personally. He just needs to rest. He'll wake up when his body is ready."

"Are you sure?"

I look at him with angry eyes. "I'm positive.

He backs up a step. "Well, if you're sure…" He looks at his protégé, his son in all ways except for biologically. He sets down a small vase with three feverfew flowers in it. "Will you have them alert me when he wakes up?"

My face softens. "Hai," I say gently.

He nods. "Arigato."

And then he leaves me alone with Lee-kun.

* * *

He has been asleep for three days. I am with him in all my waking hours. The only reason the nurses let me stay by him all this time is the fact that I'm a medical nin and I could be useful if something goes suddenly wrong.

I rest my chin on the corner of his pillow, and close my eyes.

Inhale. Exhale.

One tear rolls slowly down my right cheek. Then another on the left side.

I cry softly, leaving little stains on the pillowcase.

"Lee-kun," I whisper into his ear, "please wake up."

He grunts and sighs.

I sit up in an instant.

He squeezes his eyes, and then opens then by a millimeter.

"Lee-kun?"

He grunts, and then closes his eyes again.

The tears fall faster now, and they threaten to make me sob. I try to blink back the tears, to keep calm. A tear flies onto his face, and he shakes his head. His eyes open, and he sees me.

"Sakura-san?" he asks, looking worried. "Why are you crying?"

"Lee-kun! You're awake. It's so good to see your eyes open."

I lean in and kiss him gently on the lips.

He smiles when I pull away. "How long have they been closed?" he asks.

"Three days."

His eyebrows shoot up at the unexpected news.

Suddenly, I am angry.

"Do you know how much you scared me, _Lee-baka_? You had me worried _sick_! Don't you _ever _do that to me again!"

His eyes are wide, shocked by my quick fury. "S-sorry, Sakura-san. I didn't _mean_ to go into a coma."

I put my lower lip into a pout. "Saying sorry doesn't change the fact that I nearly lost my heart for the second time."

His pain at my words shows in his eyes, and I feel a pang of regret. "Can you ever forgive me for being so reckless?"

"Of course I can…if you promise to be more careful next time. I don't want to lose you, Lee-kun."

"I promise, then!" His eyes are excited at the chance to keep another promise to me.

"Arigato. And I forgive you."

"Yosh!"

"I'll go get a nurse and tell her you're awake."

* * *

I hold his un-bandaged, scarred hand as he gets out of bed to try out his newly-healed legs.

"Sakura-san?" he asks as he takes a tentative step forward, his arms outstretched as if he is trying to keep his balance.

"Hai?"

"_Please_tell me I won't have to use those crutches again."

"Don't worry. You won't need them."

"Thank _good_ness."

I laugh, and he grins sheepishly, blushing.

He wobbles a step forward, easing into it after four days of no use, and then punches the air.

"Yosh!" he shouts. "The Lotus of Konoha keeps going! Gai-sensei will be so happy, we'll train for hours!"

"Don't you think a break from the training might be nice?" I ask futilely. I know the answer before it leaves his lips.

"Of course not! I have to train to keep in shape. After all, if I don't train, I'll just get hurt worse next time."

I scowl. "_Next_ time?"

He smiles. "You know what I mean."

Sigh. "Of course I do."

His smile brightens a by a few degrees. "Would you like to train with us?"

The idea of having to go up against _two _handsome devils is daunting, so I smile and say, "I'll _watch_." I make it sound like a question.

He just grins at me.

* * *

**_Sup, me homies? _**

**_Anyways, the only part of this chapter i don't like is when Sakura's healing Lee, and when Tenten's explaining what happened to him. I don't know enough about anatomy to write a good medical scene, and with Tenten, i just hoped that you'd think her plot-hole-filled explanation was due to stress. --; honestly, i don't think Lee would get hurt that bad against anyone but Gaara, but let's just assume that there were a ton of people...for my sake._**

**_I loved the scene with Ino, though._**

**_Love, Miyazaki A2_**


	3. Training

**_Okay, you know how in the anime, right after a long arc they have a pointless filler episode ?(i.e. Kakashi's mask, darn that eppi ticked me off.) That's this chapter. It sticks with the story, and it sets down the foundations of the NejiTen and the InoChou, nothing terribly important happens. Well, she does have another dream, which is the foundation of _New Life _but other than that, nothing but fluff. _**

I wonder why Gai-sensei and Lee-kun have to be so…_eccentric_ when they train. It's close to insanity how eager they are to pummel each other.

I sit beside Tenten-san, and I notice that her attention has drifted to the Hyuuga who stands by the lake next to the training ground. Her eyes are wistful as she watches Neji-san's back, and I wonder where her thoughts have taken her.

She sighs.

I sigh.

She looks at me with a suspicious glint in her eye, as if she doesn't appreciate my attention.

She looks back at Neji-san, and sighs again.

"You know, Sakura-san, you're really lucky."

_**I know.**_

"How do you figure?"

"The guy you love actually notices you." She looks back at me, and I notice uncharacteristic pain in her big brown eyes. This must be very difficult for her to say. "I'd give anything for that kind of luck."

My voice comes out in a whisper. "You mean Neji-san?"

She closes her eyes as if to hide the pain in them from me. "Hai."

"Have you told him how you feel?"

"No…but I think he knows. I mean, just by the way he looks at me sometimes…so full of disdain." She sighs.

"I don't think it's disdain," I say gently. "I know what disdain looks like. Sasuke-kun taught me what disdain is. And the way Neji-san looks at you—totally different."

Her eyes burst open. "Then what do you call it, then?"

"Confusion," I say confidently. If you really need to know, I've thought about this before. I've had a lot of time to examine them whenever the green blurs got too blurry for me to be interested.

"What's he got to be confused about?" she demands, scowling.

"How he feels about you."

This takes her by surprise, and she does not seem able to speak.

I turn my attention back to the green blurs that dance around the training field, throwing blows at regular intervals. I can't even tell which is which.

"Sakura-san?" Tenten-san whispers.

"Hai?"

"Do you think there's a possibility that Neji-kun loves me back?"

"There's always a possibility."

"Do you think there's a _high _possibility?"

"I don't know, Tenten-san. I'm not a psychic. You'll have to figure that out for yourself. And besides, I don't think _he_even knows how he feels, so you might have to just wait this one out. Be patient."

She lets out a loud, obnoxious sigh. "But I'm _NOT _patient!" she groans at the top of her lungs.

Everyone freezes. The green blurs turn back into Lee-kun and Gai-sensei, and Neji-san turns around to face his secret admirer.

"Uh, are you alright, Tenten-chan?" Lee-kun asks, meeting my eyes with a confused glance. I shrug at him.

She seems to have completely lost the ability to speak.

Neji-san stares at her with unreadable eyes and then smiles slightly before he turns away again.

She stares back at him for a moment, and then she recovers from her muteness.

"Of course I am, Lee-kun. I'm just fine."

"Uh, okay…"

"C'mon, Lee! Let's _keep_ going!" Gai-sensei shouts.

Lee-kun pops a salute. "Yes, Gai-sensei!"

And they return to being green blurs.

"Overreact much?" I accuse, looking at her with one eyebrow raised.

"Well, I'm _not_," she whispers defensively.

I look over her shoulder to see Neji-san watching her with careful eyes. He meets my gaze for half an instant, and then turns away. Wait. Is he…_blushing?! _Stony-Face Neji-san, blushing?!

I look away quickly. I must have imagined it. Neji-san does not _blush_.

To avoid further embarrassment, Tenten-san runs away to join in the green blurs' sparring, leaving me alone on the log.

Alone for precisely 4.72 seconds.

"Sakura-san?" comes the voice of the stony-faced Hyuuga.

"Hai, Neji-san?"

"Do you mind if I sit here?"

"Not at all," I reply, scooting a little to the side. I'm surprised—Neji-san has said about a dozen words to me in the months that I've been coming to watch Lee-kun train. Whenever he isn't actively training, he just stands by that lake, silent as stone. It's a wonder how Tenten-san managed to fall in love with him, seeing how _talkative _he is.

He stares at the pinkish blur, a smile playing on the corners of his lips. I try to ignore him, but my conversation with Tenten-san mixed with his unusual proximity has me unnerved.

"Do you mind I if ask you something?" he says unexpectedly, and I turn to face him.

"Shoot," I say hesitantly.

"I'm sure I must seem very aloof to you…so perhaps it's not my place to ask, but…" His cheeks turn a very delicate pink color. "What is Tenten-chan impatient about?"

I blink. "Uh, sorry, Neji-san, but I don't think that's my secret to tell. Gomen."

Disappointment contorts his smooth features, and there is frustration in his pale eyes. "_Secret?_"

"Hai. Talk to Tenten-san about it. Maybe she'll tell you."

He frowns. "I suppose I have no choice then," he says resignedly. He stands. "I'm going to go spar. Want to come?"

I laugh. "I think I'll pass. I think all of you are pretty much out of my league, skill-wise."

He lets loose a small, deliberate, _breathtaking_ smile. Maybe _that's _how he got Tenten-san to fall in love with him. He must've _smiled_ at her. "I never did thank you for saving Lee-san." He bows his head. "Thank you very much for saving my friend."

"My pleasure," I say, surprised. "Though I can't take complete credit. It was a team-effort."

He smiles a little wider, though still a bit tentative, and then sprints off to join his team.

* * *

Lee-kun walks me home, holding my hand. He always seems so happy when doing something as simple as this. Sometimes he seems to still have the frame-of-mind telling him that he is dreaming up our entire relationship. He still doesn't think he'll be enough for me.

I stop on my porch and turn to face him. "I hope we get assigned to a mission together soon," I say.

He grins. "I would enjoy that very much."

I look wistfully at the front door. "Well, thanks for walking me home, Lee-kun."

"Anytime," he says cheerfully. He is about to turn away when I grab his arm. As soon as he is facing me again, I cover his lips with my own. He wraps his arms around my waist and I throw my arms around his neck. The kiss is brief, but unbearably sweet.

"I love you, Lee-kun," I remind him, my arms still around him.

"I love you, too, Sakura-san," he replies, pulling me up against his chest.

We stand there like that for maybe a minute, and then he releases me.

"Oyasumi," he says, popping me a salute.

I laugh. "Night."

And then he leaves, and I walk into the house.

* * *

_**The red-eyed demon stares at me, fury written plain on his face. He wants to kill me. I'm sure of it.**_

"_**Sakura-chan!" he shouts in his bloodcurdling voice.**_

"_**Hai?" I barely manage.**_

"_**You've betrayed me."**_

"_**How?!" I demand.**_

"_**You saved that green idiot! **_**Now**_** how can we be together?"**_

_**Before I can reply, his hand is around my throat and I cannot breathe. He lifts me off the ground.**_

"_**I thought you loved ME!" he says, agony and rage sinking into his tone.**_

"_**I **_**did**_**!" I choke out, struggling to get out of his strangling grip. "But you**_ **left**_**! You **_**never** _**loved me and you never **_**will**_**!"**_

_**He cannot deny it. He lets me go and evaporates.**_

_**Lee-kun appears and wraps his arms around me.**_

_**I am safe.**_

* * *

I am awake.

My subconscious is having a hard time letting go of Sasuke-kun.

Inhale. Exhale. Keep breathing.

I shower quickly, dress in the first outfit I touch, and then leave the house without eating.

As I walk, I meet up with Ino-chan. When I first see her, she looks distracted, but when she sees me, she blushes. How strange.

"Ohayo, Ino-chan," I say hesitantly, interested by that embarrassed look in her eyes.

"Ohayo," she says, smiling sheepishly.

"What's up?"

She twiddles her thumbs, and it is shocking to see someone so proud and confident as Ino-chan to look so unsure of herself. "Well," she starts, and then she giggles. "I had a talk with Chouji-kun."

I laugh. "And?"

She raises an eyebrow. "He _kissed_ me." Her voice is mostly emotionless, but there is an edge of some emotion I can't place.

I cock my head to the side and try to process her mood. "Is that a good thing or a bad thing? I mean, did you _want_ him to?"

She looks down, thinking hard about my question. "I wasn't sure at first, but…I think…yeah, I did. He's great, even with that food-fetish he's got, and he's always been there for me, even when I had that major crush on Sasuke-san. And don't forget the one on Shikamaru-kun. And I really appreciate that. I think I'm gonna try to get with him." She laughs. "Of course, he ran off a second after kissing me, so I couldn't tell him any of this."

"That's great, Ino-pig."

She grimaces. "So glad you approve, Billboard-Brow."

We smile at each other, and then I keep walking.

I do not know where I am going until I find myself at the training ground. Of course, I am not alone.

Lee-kun kicks at a tree over and over again, switching between his left and right leg.

Right leg—kick!

Jump onto his other foot.

Left leg—kick!

Jump back onto his first foot.

Right leg—kick!

He does all this in the space of less than three seconds.

I do not interrupt him. Instead, I amuse myself with throwing kunai knives at the dummy across the field.

Right in the heart every time.

Lee-kun looks at me without breaking his concentration, and he smiles before turning his attention back to his wooden victim.

When I am out of kunai and my stuffed victim is sufficiently riddled through with holes, I walk over to retrieve my weapons.

Having lost interest with target practice, I walk over to a tree near Lee-kun and punch at it, getting my breathing in tune with the blows.

Inhale. Right hand collides with the tree. One.

Exhale. Left hand splinters the bark. Two.

Inhale. Right hand reveals the wood underneath the bark. Three.

Exhale. Left hand damages that wood, too. Four.

I keep going. I keep breathing.

Eventually, without either of us making a decision to do so, we move in sync with each other. It is impossible how he keeps his balance, hopping from one foot to another, kicking the tree at the same time. He is almost unbelievably graceful. I feel incredibly slow to find that it takes me the same time to throw one punch as it does for him to do one step of his nimble dance.

Eventually, my knuckles begin to bleed, so I back away from the tree. Lee-kun looks at my retreat, laughs, and then bounces away from his own tree.

"Done already?" he teases, taking my injured hands in his.

"Your body sure can take a lot of punishment."

He grins with pride. "They don't call it endurance for nothing! That's why I train—to turn my body into steel!"

I take my hands away from him and squeeze his still-flesh bicep. "Yep, that's steel alright," I laugh.

He laughs.

I touch his cheek, and he sees the missing skin on my knuckles. He frowns and takes my hand in his, looking at the blood seeping out of the scrapes. "Don't you think you should fix this?" he asks, giving me a mildly disapproving look, though of course it still drips with tenderness.

I smile and send some healing chakra to my hands, and he grins as the skin heals right before his eyes.

"I am proud of you, Sakura-san, for being able to go that long, and I understand that you can heal yourself, but next time you decide to train like that, please wrap up your hands. It protects the skin from constant damage, and it softens the blow to your knuckle bones. It doesn't weaken the attack; it just makes it safer for you to attack."

"Okay," I say. "That would probably be the smartest thing."

"Arigato."

"Is that why you do it?"

He smiles. "Hai."

"I guess that makes you smart, too. But I already knew that, of course."

He all-out grins, gives me a thumbs-up, and goes into his _nice guy _pose.

God I love him.

* * *

We show up to mission assignment at the same time, hoping to send Tsunade-sama a hint, and she takes it. She gives me and his squad a three-part mission to the Land of Wind. The first part is to escort some little old lady home. After we drop her off, we'll have to deliver a big old scroll to the Kazekage. I don't know what's in it, and I'm not really interested. Sand nin scare the hell out of me, even if they are our allies. The last part of the mission is to take the Kazekage's sister home with us. She'll be Suna's delegate for the upcoming Chunin Exam.

I wonder if Naruto-kun will be home by then, or if he'll miss yet another opportunity to raise his rank…

* * *

**_Hehe, what did i tell you? Rather pointless, except for that second-to-last paragraph. Wierd place to cut it off, i know, but it had to stop somewhere. _**

**_I re-wrote that conversation with Ino at least five times, and i'm still not very happy with it. Whatever. It's good enough, i suppose._**

**_I would like to re-thank those who reviewed my previous chapters. You have no idea how much it means to me to get feedback, postive or negative. (though there hasn't been any negative--which pleases me to no end.)_**

**_Until next time,_**

**_A2_**


	4. Nightmare

Our escortee is a tiny old woman—she is just barely up to my collarbone—with beady brown eyes, which she compensates for with _huge _glasses. She calls herself Chiyoko, and apparently she's the mother of the mayor of some town in the Land of Wind. She is cheerful and frail with delicate grey curls that fall to her skinny shoulders. Her wrinkles are soft and leathery, and she still has all of her teeth. Her voice is rough and sweet at the same time, grandmotherly and comforting.

She treats Gai-sensei like a child and the rest of us like toddlers. She seems to have the idea that idea that she could make the five-day journey on her own, and has hired us for the novelty of seeing Konoha ninja in action. Gai-sensei has tried to convince her that this journey could be wrought with peril—yeah right—but she nonetheless acts like she's on vacation.

As we walk, I resist the urge to grab Lee-kun's hand. I _have _to act like a professional, despite my longing to treat this like a vacation, too.

Chiyoko-sama walks in front of us all, as if she knows the way better than we do. She thinks she is twenty years old, and she'll hurt herself is she keeps attacking random things on the trail, as if she were still a ninja.

I want to hit her.

Lee-kun thinks she's the most hilarious thing in the world.

"The Fire of Youth still burns within her!" he says when I complain about her misused energy.

"What youth? She's like eighty years old!"

"She doesn't let it faze her!"

"She's senile."

He laughs. "Perhaps," he allows. "But she's amusing."

"C'mon, kiddos, let's hurry! We've got to get home before sundown! They're expecting me!" Chiyoko-sama yells from ahead of us, out of earshot to our murmuring. She runs even farther ahead, and Gai-sensei, the most interested in the outcome of this mission of the five of us, runs after her to make sure she doesn't trip over a ladybug and break her spine.

_**It could happen.**_

"She does realize that we have about four more days of walking ahead of us, right?" I complain.

He takes my hand and squeezes it. "She'll figure it out."

When the sun finally starts to set, Chiyoko-sama screams like bloody murder. We run to her, and she is sobbing about how we'll never make it home, how we're going to die on this journey.

Annoyed and frustrated, no longer interested in the mission at all, I walk away and lean up against a tree, watching as Gai-sensei tries to convince her that we are the best of the best, that she's perfectly safe. Neji-san and Tenten-san, as fed up as I am, leave the handsome devils alone with the crazy woman to set up the tent. Eventually, even my ever-tenacious Lee-kun gives up on her, leaving Gai-sensei alone with the batty old woman.

"You're right," Lee-kun says as he leans next to me.

"I usually am. But what am I right about this time?"

"She _is _senile."

We laugh, and he takes my hand again.

"Let's just hope she stays amusing or I'll have to—"

Just then Chiyoko-sama falls to the ground. We all look at her, none of us especially interested, though Stony-Face actually looks like he's close to laughter. It's oddly quiet without her idiotic wailing.

Gai-sensei looks embarrassed, and I realize that he just knocked her out. Hope she doesn't remember that in the morning. I don't want _my _pay to be docked because of _her _insanity.

Neji-san and Tenten-san keep working as if nothing has happened, and Gai-sensei wraps her up in a sleeping bag. Maybe—hopefully—she'll just think she just drifted off to sleep by her own power…

A gust of wind blows in from the north, and it makes an ominous moaning sound. A tingle runs up and down my spine, and I wrap my arms around Lee-kun. He holds me willingly, though I can tell that the wind has him spooked, too.

The wind keeps blowing for five minutes, making the tent work impossible for Lee-kun's teammates. When it ceases, it leaves a strange, empty feeling in the campsite.

"That was obnoxious," I complain, backing away from Lee-kun.

"Agreed," he says, and his voice has an unusual tint of irritation in it.

When the tent is ready, we eat some dried fruit and dried meat for dinner, and then we retire to our sleeping bags.

I am in the sleeping bag closest to the door of the long tent. Lee-kun is next to me, then Gai-sensei, then Chiyoko-sama. Next to her is Tenten-san, and Stony-Face has the sleeping bag next to the back of the tent.

I face Lee-kun and watch as he sleeps. Now he does look peaceful, unlike when he was unconscious. Almost like an angel, if it isn't too corny for me to say so. His features are soft and smooth, devoid of concentration or concern. Totally at peace. His mouth is slightly agape, and I can just barely hear gentle the sound of his snoring. His sleek black hair falls all over his face, almost hiding his closed eyes.

I feel an intense longing to climb into his sleeping bag and wrap my arms around him. Just to hold him. Not to kiss or to talk—I wouldn't even wake him up. I would just hold him close to me and never—at least not until morning—let him go.

Besides, I am afraid to sleep. I don't want to have another nightmare, not on a mission and definitely not in front of Lee-kun. I don't want him to worry about me more than usual.

But I cannot help myself. My eyelids feel abnormally heavy and my breathing slows despite my intentions.

Inhale……exhale.

Yawn…

I sleep.

* * *

_**I don't see my old or current love anywhere. I see a window. I see a pale young woman with pink hair and emerald-green eyes. I see a smile on her delicate lips.**_

_**I wonder what she's happy about.**_

_**Suddenly, her green love is beside her. I look around, but no one is by my side. I am alone.**_

_**I look back into the window, and she and her green love are speaking. I cannot hear a word, but I see their mouths moving. Something the green one says excites the pink-haired one, and she jumps into his arms, her legs flailing behind her as he lifts her off her feet and spins around.**_

_**I smile. I wish my own green love was here to enjoy this moment with me.**_

_**But, of course, the moment does not last long. I never expected it to last longer than it did, but, still, when he puts her down and they part, I am instantly saddened. They keep talking.**_

_**Far behind to the lovers, a storm rages. A figure stands in the eye of the storm, but the lovers do not notice him. He walks closer, leaving the storm behind him, and I see his face in the distance.**_

_**It's the demon again.**_

_**God, why can't he just **_**leave me alone**_**?**_

_**At least I won't have to hear his voice this time.**_

_**He starts up a chidori, and I am horrified to see him looking at the green one with his demonic red eyes.**_

_**I try to run to protect the green one, but an invisible wall stops me.**_

"_**Look out!" I shout. "Please, get out of the way!"**_

_**They cannot hear me. **_

_**The lovers are speaking so intently, so passionately, that they cannot see or hear the ball of electricity coming to kill them both.**_

_**The demon is coming at them, full-speed.**_

_**His hand is through the green one in a second. The pink-haired one is thrown backwards and to the ground by the force of it. The green one stands there, dead on his feet. The chidori has hit him right in his heart.**_

_**Mine breaks.**_

_**The green one's dead eyes stare vacantly into the pink-haired girl's living ones, and the girl begins to sob.**_

_**The green one falls backwards, and the blood covers the ground in seconds, soaking the demon's feet and the girl.**_

_**The girl cries harder.**_

_**The demon kicks the green one's corpse, and then walks over to the sobbing girl. He picks her up by the shoulders and kisses her on the lips.**_

* * *

The kiss which once would have made me scream in pleasure makes me scream in horror.

Lee-kun is awake in seconds. He shouts my name, but I cannot hear.

Despite myself, I thrash around, trying to dispel the nightmare.

_**WHY?!**_

I do not see him. All I see is the red-eyed demon with his hand through my love, destroying both of our hearts in one fell swoop.

I cannot open my eyes.

I cannot breathe.

I cannot keep quiet.

"Oh, Lee-kun!" I wail, and the tears start to fall freely.

"What is it?" he yells, trying to break through the fog of my tears.

I thrash around some more. "Oh, my freaking God, _LEE-KUN_!!"

I feel hands on my shoulders, but my eyes are glued shut. I can't open them even though my sanity may depend on it.

He shakes me, and my eyes are open for a spilt second.

I see him in that spilt second, and then I throw myself at him, sobbing out his name. His arms are around me, but I still can't hear him, as if there is cotton in my ears.

It seems to take forever, but eventually, my eyes run dry. My voice is gone, but I can see and hear, though Lee-kun is not saying anything anymore. He just rocks me back and forth.

"Lee-kun…?" I say finally, my voice tiny and wispy.

He notices the change in my tone and replies. "Hai, Sakura-san?"

"Gomen."

"For what?"

"Waking you up."

He laughs once, but the sound is all wrong. "Don't worry about it. Are you alright?"

"H-h-hai."

"What was wrong?"

"I had a really bad dream."

His arms tighten around me. "About?"

I shake my head. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Alright."

He rocks me again.

I look around. "Where is everybody else?"

"They were already awake. That old woman is on everybody's last nerve. She woke us up hours before you did. I'm surprised you slept through it. Gai-sensei very nearly knocked her out again." He laughs again.

"Sasuke-san killed you right in front of me."

He tenses. "_Nani_?!" he squeaks.

"In my nightmare. That's what scared me so badly. He ran a chidori through you, with me right there. And then he kissed me." I shudder.

So does he. But he doesn't say anything for a long time.

When he speaks, his voice is soft and hesitant, and very apologetic.

"Do you still think about him a lot?"

I tense. I can still remember the pain his memory used to inflict on me, and I really wish I had let the subject drop.

"Not on purpose," I say quietly. "Sometimes he sneaks up on me. I don't _want_to think about him. He hurt me so badly…I wish he never existed."

"So do I," Lee-kun says in a furious tone that I have never heard before. "But you still dream of him?"

"The only time I dream of him is when I have _nightmares_," I tell him, and I can feel him relax for a short instant. I snuggle myself closer to him. "I'm so sorry you had to see me like that. I really did not want to have a nightmare."

"Of course you didn't. You're no masochist. And don't worry. I'm _here _to see you like that, to help you when you're like that. My promise, remember?"

"Still..."

"Sakura-san…" he says, but does not say anything. He just holds me and rocks me.

Sigh. Inhale. Exhale. Sigh again.

"I love you, Lee-kun. Please don't ever take yourself away from me."

My voice sounds broken, and I know it must hurt him deeply for me to see me like this. I don't really understand. He should be happy—well, maybe not _happy_, but at least satisfied—that his hypothetical _death _affects me so deeply. Maybe he doesn't get the point.

"I love you, too, Sakura-chan. And I'll do my best to stay alive for you." He laughs and sticks a thumbs-up in my face.

I am distracted. "Chan?"

"Do you prefer san?"

"No, I like chan."

"That reminds me…"

"What?"

"Earlier, you said that Sasuke-_san_killed me. Don't you usually call him Sasuke-_kun_?"

I pick my head up and scowl at him. "Kun is for friends and loved ones," I say in a hard tone. "San is a formality."

He smiles wryly. "Sakura-chan it is, then."

He kisses me.

* * *

**_Scaring the crap outa Sakura is so fun. Heh. Sorta short chappy, pretty scary nightmare. I promise, next chappy will have stuff happen. Stuff besides scaring the crap out of Sakura (which of course still happens.) The nightmare was a little hard to write. i hated having to kill Lee, even if it was only a nightmare._**

**_Oh! I recently heard that i need to set up a little glossary system, since i use a lot of Japanese phrases in this fic. I'll try._**

**_"Ohayo"--good morning. "Konichiwa"--hello/ good afternoon. "Oyasumi"--goodnight. "Hai"--yes. "Arigato"--thank you. "Ja"--an informal goodbye. "Nani"--what? "Baka"--stupid, fool, idiot. "Sensei"--teacher. "San"--a formal suffix signifying respect. "Chan"--an informal suffix for a good girl friend, or a young child. "Kun"--an informal suffix for a good boy friend. "Sama"--a suffix signafying the utmost of respect. "Ai"--love. "Konoha"--the Villiage Hidden in the Leaves. "Suna"--the Villiage Hidden in the Sand. "Gomen"--sorry._**

**_uh, i think that's everything, but if i left anything out, please let me know! ;-)_**

**_Ai, _**

**_Miyazaki A2_**


	5. Massacre

It is the third day of our long walk. Either one of two things has happened.

1) Chiyoko-sama has gotten less insane (yeah, right)

or (more likely)

2) we've gotten used to her insanity.

She still freaks out around sundown, and Gai-sensei still has to poke her in the temple before she can get some rest, but thankfully she never seems to remember the next morning how she got to sleep.

We walk _a lot _every day, so I've been too exhausted to dream again. I swear, Gai-sensei thinks we're immortal or something. Lunatic.

Something strange has happened since that last nightmare. I've started to see the members of Lee-kun's squad differently. I'm oddly comfortable with them, as if they were Naruto-kun and Kakashi-sensei and…the old, dear Sasuke-_kun_.

I've started to pick up on their individual idiosyncrasies, their habits, their hidden feelings. Like how Stony-Face never laughs, but smiles that gorgeous smile of his. I already knew that he didn't laugh, but I've learned that his smile is the equivalent of a laugh, and a great honor to receive one. And Tenten-chan has this thing where she'll tie her buns up, take them down, and then retie them just as they were. Every single morning. It's a wonder she doesn't just chop them off if they cause her so much trouble.

And I've noticed the way she looks at Neji-kun. Almost like he's an in-the-flesh god or something. It reminds me of how I used to look at Sasuke-_kun_, drooling and desperate. Except, it's different, too, somehow. It has more substance, more essence to it. It's stronger, more definite. It's _real _love.

And Stony-Face…well, it's just like I told Tenten-chan. He is just confused. He _does_ know that she loves him. But he isn't sure about his own feelings. The way he looks at her…there's love deep down—I'm sure of it—but it's so deep that it may not surface for a while. I hope Tenten-chan can learn some patience, because they need each other. They'd be perfect together, but it seems like I'm the only one who can tell.

Gai-sensei is insane, but I already knew that. What I didn't know was the extent of his insanity. He wakes up every morning at dawn—every single damn day—and runs half a mile away from the campsite and back. Three times. I swear he'll kill himself if he keeps up like this. How much can one body take?

He treats Lee-kun like his flesh-and-blood son. Lee-kun is probably Gai-sensei's very best quality. Their relationship is so complex and so simple at the same time, so close-knit—anyone who didn't know that Lee-kun is an orphan and Gai-sensei is a confirmed old bachelor would be proud to see that fathers and sons are still as close as ever in Konoha. I think they see each other as just that, though, despite the fact that neither of them has any real family.

It's good to see that someone besides myself loves Lee-kun.

I think I'll try to go on missions with this squad much more often. All of their relationships are so close to family-ties. Lee-kun has a brother and a sister and a father, even though he's completely alone in this world. Even Stony-Face seems to have found a family away from his family. After all, he has no parents or siblings—this squad seems to have become them. And Tenten-chan has a real family—I've seen her with them often—but even then she isn't so open and carefree. Being on this squad seems to bring out the best in people.

I hope I can stay with them for a long time.

Now that they've realized that Lee-kun and I are in it for the long run, they've opened up to me, too. Just like a family, they were hesitant to accept me as Lee-kun's girlfriend, but over the months they must've realized that I'm not going anywhere. So, they've let me into their exclusive, inclusive family. Even Neji-kun calls me Sakura-chan instead of Sakura-san.

It's not that I don't miss my old squad. I'd give almost anything to live life the way it was—with of course the addition of Lee-kun—with Naruto-kun and Kakashi-sensei and…Sasuke-_kun_. They were my friends, my _very_ _closest_ friends. I even considered them _my _family away from my family. It's not like they're dead or anything, but…it'll never be the same. Kakashi-sensei is never around and I haven't seen Naruto-kun in a little over two years. And of course, Sasuke-san is away, working for that damned Snake Sannin, never to return.

Inhale. Exhale. Calm. Don't worry.

I miss my old life, but I love my new one.

* * *

Fifth day. We should reach Chiyoko-sama's village today.

Chiyoko-sama is crazy with excitement. Alright, crazi_er_.

"Oh, boy! We're almost there! I can feel it in my toes!" She jumps onto Gai-sensei's back, and he laughs at her enthusiasm. "Giddy up!" she shouts, hitting Sensei in the back. Still smiling—though it is forced now—Gai-sensei bounds forward, giving the little old lady a jolt of excitement with each step he takes.

"Do you really think he should do that?" I ask, holding Lee-kun's hand. Screw being professional. Who the hell cares if he and I hold hands?

He swings our arms as we walk. He gives me a wicked grin.

"If you want, Sakura-chan, we could join them."

I raise an eyebrow. "Nani?"

He snickers, and then bends over forward.

"Dare to ride the Green Beast?" he teases.

I frown. "Are you serious?"

He grins.

"You know, I'm not nearly as light as I could be."

He laughs again. "Are you kidding? I can carry objects over five times my own weight; carrying you should be like carrying a kitten."

I deliberate where I stand.

He gives me a smile that I can hardly stand to refuse. "C'mon, it'll be fun."

I cock my head to the side. "For you or for me?"

He chuckles. "You're not scared, are you?"

I don't reply.

"You don't really think I'd drop you, do you?"

Silence.

He laughs out loud, but then his face crumples in a pain that very nearly looks real, if not for the slightly mocking tenor to his tone. "Honestly, I'm insulted. Don't you trust me?"

"Alright, alright," I say, hardly able to stand the look on his face, despite the fact that I know it is fake. "Quit with the guilt trip." I purse my lips. "But…how am I supposed to get on?"

His pained façade instantly melts and he winks. "Jump."

"Wouldn't that knock you over?"

He raises an adorably bushy eyebrow.

"Right, of course not. Forgive my idiocy," I say sarcastically before I give him a warning look, and then start to back up. I get a running start, and then I leap at him. Suddenly, my legs are around his back and his elbows are linked with my knees, and my arms are crossed tightly around his neck.

And he is running. Even with the leg weights and me on his back, he is faster than anything I've ever thought possible. We leave Neji-kun and his admirer in the dust as we rush past the trees by our sides. Everything is blurred. Nothing remains constant besides Lee-kun's ecstatic breathing and the periodic jolts as each of his feet hit the ground. We even seem to leave the air behind with our speed. The air rushes into my lungs, but it is not really _air_. Just wind. But for some reason, I do not need air. As long as we run, I am suspended between life and death and it does not even faze me.

At one point, we pass a tall green blur.

So ha! My Lee-kun is faster than his father! The student surpasses his sensei!

_**Or perhaps Gai-sensei was standing still, you braggart.**_

You're such a killjoy.

_**I know. **_

He keeps running and time ceases to have meaning. Time, that which I have spent so much energy keeping track of, counting seconds, breaths, heartbeats—anything countable—no longer exists. We might have been running been for three minutes or perhaps three days. Nothing matters but my precious Lee-kun, my green love. As long as he and I are together, nothing more can touch us.

He stops suddenly, skidding across the ground for a yard before we come to a halt.

"Sakura-chan. Get down."

Something in his tone is off.

I comply, feeling the magic wear off.

Inhale. Exhale. A chill is in the air, stinging my lungs with a horrible sense of loss with each breath. I try to step to Lee-kun's side, but he steps in my path, blocking whatever he's trying to hide from my sight.

"What is it?" I whisper, staring at his back. I try to lean around him, just to see, but he moves his shoulder into my line of vision. "Lee-kun?"

"It's bad, Sakura-chan. You can see it, but try not to scream. We might not be alone here."

I'm not so sure I want to see anymore.

He moves out of the way.

Gasp. What. The. Hell.

I clap a hand to my mouth to keep from screaming out loud.

There are four dead men, two dead women, and a dead little girl in this clearing. Their blood coats the ground, acting as an eerie paint to stain the grass. They each have a deep, angry red X slashed into their chests, except for the little girl, whose throat is slit. She must have been the first to die. Just to keep her from screaming and alerting the others, she was allowed a quick death. God, she looks like she was only four or five years old.

And all of their eyes are wide open.

Lee-kun makes an odd growling sound and I willingly tear my eyes away from the horror in front of me to look at his face. But my stomach drops even further down when I see the unmasked rage in his wide eyes.

There is no safe place for my eyes. I cannot bear the fury in Lee-kun's usually-warm eyes, but I dare not look back at the horror in front of us. I close my eyes, but the two terrible sights seem to be imbedded in my corneas. So I open my eyes and bury my face in Lee-kun's chest. He wraps his arms around me, but he is tense and I can feel the anger seeping through him, and it starts to fill me.

"Who would do something like this?" I demand, letting the ire slip into my tone. "These people were civilians, obviously unarmed. What would be the sense in…_slaughtering_them like this?" The angrier I get, the easier it is to look back at the corpses. "They look so empty."

His voice is flat when he replies, "That's because they're dead."

The hollowness of his tone drains me of my anger, and I hide my face again.

"We've got to go back and tell the others. Maybe Neji-kun can use his Byakugan and…I don't know, see who did this or see who they were or…something." My voice drops so low that he might not hear me. "Anything to get out of here."

He holds me close. "Yes. Let us go."

He pulls me onto his back and runs, trying to get us as far away from here as possible as quickly as possible. Unlike last time he ran like this, time is of the essence. The seconds pass very surely, one after another, over and over again. His feet barely touch the ground. His eagerness is replaced by terror. I see the branches whiz past our heads, and I almost scream twice. It is a miracle I am still sane by the time he skids to a stop. I jump off his back at once, but my knees tremble under my own weight and I fall to the ground.

Nobody notices. When Lee-kun tells Gai-sensei of the massacre, the older handsome devil jabs Chiyoko-sama in the temple, catching her when she falls. He drapes her over his shoulder. "Just to keep her from freaking out," he says, winking at his protégé.

He looks behind us, and I see a whitish and a pinkish smudge in the distance, taking their merry time on this "happy-go-lucky" mission.

"Neji! Tenten! Hurry up! Lee and Sakura have found some dead civilians! We need Neji's Byakugan!"

The smudges seem to have sped up, but they are so far behind that it is difficult to tell.

Lee-kun finally looks at me, and his eyes turn apologetic.

"Sakura-chan? What are you doing on the ground?"

I frown. "I fell."

He smiles, but the expression doesn't touch his eyes.

He bends down and picks me up by my shoulders, and then he pulls me up against his chest.

"Are you alright?" he asks.

I am about to say _hai__**,**_ but I cannot lie, not today. "No," I say uneasily, "I'm not. I'm really freaked out, and I shouldn't be. I'm a ninja. I face death daily…but still…"

"I understand," he says, and he buries his face in my hair.

We stand like that for one minute and forty-two seconds before Neji-kun and Tenten-chan show up. They both notice my tearstained, horrified eyes and Lee-kun's plain fury, and they exchange a loaded glance. Gai-sensei tells them about the dead people we found, and then Neji-kun turns on his Byakugan before running in the direction we pointed. His secret admirer runs off after him, keeping pace with him easily. Lee-kun slings me over his shoulder, and I scramble onto his back, wrapping my limbs around his body just a second before he starts running faster than before. A sickly anticipation seeps in through the rush of useless wind, and now I actually feel the need to breathe. But I can't, and it terrifies me. I wish he would stop. Soon. I can't stand the speed, knowing what we're running towards.

As soon as I wish it, he stops.

We're back at the scene of the murders.

I want to barf. As I climb down from Lee-kun's back, I make sure not to notice the corpses. If I do, I'll fall again.

Tenten-chan is on her knees, and Neji-kun is kneeling beside her, a hand on her shoulder. He has a sick look on his face. He looks at the bodies with a scowl, and it is not long before he has to look away.

Tenten-chan looks at me. "Is there anything you can do for them? Any of them? You're a medical nin, aren't you?"

"It's no use," Neji-kun answers for me. "The life has long since left their bodies."

Just then, Gai-sensei catches up with us, and his omnipresent grin is absent for once. His nose wrinkles up as his gaze drifts to the lifeless little girl. "Neji…can you tell where they came from?"

Stony-Face shakes his head. "They've been dead too long for me to tell just by looking. But they might have identification on their persons."

Everyone makes a gagging sound.

Lee-kun straightens up and walks to the closest man. He grits his teeth as he runs his hand over the man's face, closing the horrorstruck eyes. Then my dear one starts to carefully sift through the man's belongings, wincing as the useless blood stains his arm-wrappings. Soon, he pulls out a plastic rectangle.

I try not to listen as he reads the man's name, where he lived, what color his eyes and hair used to be. That'll make him a real person, not just a body. I don't want to see him as a real person, or I'll faint.

He goes through the rest of their IDs, except for the little girl. She's too young to even be wearing identification. And besides, I don't think Lee-kun can bear to touch her.

"Someone in her town will know who she is," he explains. He scowls as he kneels down to close her wide, once-lovely blue-green eyes.

Stony-Face stands. "They're all from Chiyoko-sama's town." He looks at Gai-sensei. "What do we do with them?"

Gai-sensei has a haunted look on his face. "We'll take them home, of course. We'd be monsters if we didn't give their families a chance to give them a proper burial."

We all nod, but not one of us is supremely willing.

I'm going to be sick.

I harden my expression and look at Tenten-chan. "Let's go get some water to clean these guys up." I look to the boys. "You start to make a coffin or something. We can't just carry them."

Everyone nods, with the same attitude as before.

Tenten-chan looks at me with gratitude. She knows I only asked her to go with me to temporarily get her away from the horror. She stands quickly, trying not to wobble as she walks towards the forest. I do not miss the glance she shares with Neji-kun.

I send Lee-kun a sidelong glance—he doesn't notice—before I run to catch up with Tenten-chan.

In the forest and out of the boys' earshot, Tenten-chan yells out loud. She doesn't say anything—they are just frustrated, unintelligible noises.

"Tenten-chan? Are you alright?"

"No! All those people! My GOD!"

"I know," I say.

"Neji-kun said that they had been dead for only a few hours. If we had set out just a little bit sooner, we could've saved them!"

"Maybe we could've, or maybe we would've been slaughtered, too. In any case, it's too late to do anything about it now. Now all we can do is get the bodies back to their families."

She scowls and doesn't speak again until we get to the river.

"Who do you think could've done this?" she asks with the same hollowness in her voice as Lee-kun's had had earlier.

"I don't think it's anyone we know," I say confidently. "Probably a highwayman or something like that."

"It didn't look like anything was taken off of them. It looked like they were killed…just for the sake of killing."

My stomach does a somersault. "Only a _monster_ would kill for the sake of killing!" My voice is unintentionally angry at the idea.

She frowns. "There are plenty of monsters in this world."

I nod, trying not to picture the red-eyed demon at the word _monsters_. I pull out a couple of towels from my backpack, and dip them in the water.

She does the same.

We carry the wet towels back in silence, and I can see Tenten-chan visibly pale when she sees the two long boxes that the boys are just now finishing.

"They're all very fast," I say.

"Hai," she replies, emotionless.

* * *

I will _never _be an undertaker. Cleaning those bodies and putting them in the coffins has got to be the most horrible thing I have ever had to do.

It is over now, but now we must waist our energy lugging the coffins around, and the day is winding down.

Luckily, Chiyoko-sama's town is the first one on the road.

Chiyoko-sama is awake by the time we reach her hometown, and we do our best to explain the coffins without frightening her.

For the first time since the beginning of the mission, Chiyoko-sama is serious.

"Well, being the mother of the mayor, it will be my responsibility to bring the bodies back to their families." Two men from her town appear by the village gates, and she gives them a hard look, and then she looks back at the coffins. Without a word being spoken, the men stack the coffins and carry them away.

Chiyoko-sama looks from one face to another, stopping on Gai-sensei's. She bows. "Domo arigato. You've all been a great help to me."

_**There's no greater help than human-sleeping-pills.**_

And then she skips away without a backwards glance, not even noticing the coffins as she passes them.

I scowl. "Senile old coot," I grumble, turning around. "Let's keep going. This mission isn't over yet."

"Sakura's right!" Gai-sensei shouts, punching the air above his head. "Move out!"

We do as he says without any enthusiasm.

Lee-kun takes my hand and I give him a withering look.

"You are angry," he states.

"Frustrated," I correct him.

"Why?"

I swallow. "I've never seen so many dead people in one place. I'm a medical nin; I'm supposed to save people. But someone killed them, and there was nothing I could do. I hate feeling so helpless."

He smiles gently. "If you want"—he pulls out a kunai knife—"I could give you something to heal." He winks, and touches the tip to his shoulder.

"Put that the hell away," I say, giving him a rough _love tap _on the shoulder, laughing.

He does as I say, and pushes me to the side a little. I push him back, so he wraps his arm around my waist. Having me sufficiently captured, he leans down and kisses my temple. Then he releases all of me but one hand.

Sigh. Inhale. Exhale.

"I'm going to have a nightmare tonight. I can feel it."

He sighs and frowns, and squeezes my hand. "You have to sleep. You've had a long day. You'll be dead on your feet tomorrow if you don't try to get some rest."

Obnoxiously loud sigh that probably bugs him.

"I know _that_. I'm not saying I won't sleep. I'm just saying that you shouldn't be surprised if I wake up screaming my head off."

His frown doubles in size. He doesn't seem to be able to do more than squeeze my hand in a comforting gesture.

"I'm sorry you had to see that," he says after eight minutes and fifty-nine seconds.

"Me, too…about you, I mean. You looked pretty messed up over there."

He nods. "It was shocking…to see all those innocent people strewn out on the forest floor like that…I'm sorry if I worried you."

Sigh. "Don't start apologizing, Lee-kun. You don't need to be sorry."

He squeezes my hand.

* * *

**_Ugh. Wierd place to cut it off, i know. But i really couldn't find any better place. Heh...i don't know. _**

**_I finished typing this whole thing. Now it all depends on me getting them all polished up for uploading. Eh-heh...yeah..._**

**_Anyways, i think i've sufficiantly scared the crap out of Sakura for now. and i thought i might as well take this space to apologize for any OOC-ness. I think it's okay, but if you have a different opinion, eck..._**

**_The rest of this fic is pretty much centered on Sakura's dreams. This chappy was mainly to add a little horror to Sakura's outlook. I'm not all that happy with it, though i really like Lee and Sakura's conversation right before they find the corpses._**

**_TTFN,_**

**_A2_**


	6. Santa, All I Want is Insomnia

**_Ahem. Me again. I'm sure you people must think that I stay up all night writing, and skip meals for the sake of it, but 'tis not the case, I promise. I've been writing this fic for a few weeks, just for kicks, and had most of it done before i even got an account on this lovely site. You see it before you now because of my determination to edit and polish._**

* * *

We stop not too far from the Gates of Suna. We don't have authorization to go in until tomorrow, so we hold back. The sun is just now setting, and it looks like a giant red eye. I have to look away as it starts to glint off the sand, the trees having disappeared a while ago.

I am so tired of red eyes.

The sun sets and I am the last one to climb into the tent. I can hear everyone else snoring already. Lee-kun, still awake, watches as I slide into my sleeping bag, but he does not say anything. We just gaze into each other's eyes for an immeasurable amount of time. His expression is worried, anticipating the screaming that I promised him, no doubt.

Since he won't be satisfied until I am asleep, I snuggle my face closer into my pillow and smile at him.

"Oyasumi, Lee-kun. I love you."

He grins. "I love you, too, Sakura-chan. Oyasumi."

I close my eyes, but I can still feel his eyes on me. I open one eye, meet his gaze, and smile when he blushes, looks away, and squeezes his eyes shut.

"Were you watching me?" I whisper, letting a hint of a taunting edge slither into my tone.

He pretends to snore.

"You're very handsome when you sleep," I murmur.

He stiffens and glances at me, breaking out of his act. He meets my now-two-eyed gaze, and blushes before closing his eyes again.

"So are you," he says after a moment. "Beautiful, I mean, not handsome. I mean, you are all the time, but when your eyes are closed, your face smoothes out and you seem to lose all…or at least most of your inhibitions…and fears…and you just seem at peace. It's lovely."

I smile and close my eyes, and it is not long before I drift off.

* * *

_**Where am I?**_

_**I know I am dreaming, but am I having a nightmare? The atmosphere is different from my most recent dreams. Lighter, warmer, a little more whimsical. Am I actually **_**dreaming?**

_**I don't remember the last time I had a real dream. My nights have been nothing but nightmares or just the absence of dreaming, period, for the last two years.**_

_**I decide to relax and settle into the dream.**_

_**But there is nothing to see. Just blankness. As comfortable as I feel, I am alone and empty, just like the eyes of those corpses. Nothing is here but me, and eventually the feeling of serenity leaves me. What is here to comfort me? Nothing at all…nothing but me. And what good am I?**_

_**How long can this last? I huddle on the ground, curling up into a ball. It's already felt like weeks. My body feels so heavy that as soon as I hit the ground, I am sprawled out, vulnerable to any attack.**_

_**But who is here to attack me? An attack would at least be interesting, and why would I be spared from this monotony by anything of interest? **_

_**God, this sucks.**_

* * *

I open my eyes to find Lee-kun watching me, his face lit up by the early-morning sunlight that seeps through the thin walls of the tent.

Groggy, I smile at him. "Ohayo."

Yawn. Inhale. Exhale. Yawn again. Sigh and snuggle closer into my pillow.

"Ohayo," he replies, shaking my shoulder gently. "You've got to get up, ai. You always manage to sleep so late. How do you do that?" I can hear the smile in his voice.

I stick my tongue out at him, and I hear a playful laugh.

Suddenly, he seems to be serious. "Did you have a nightmare? You didn't scream…"

I frown and open my eyes. "It wasn't a nightmare, but it wasn't a dream either. It was just a white landscape—no, not even a landscape. Just white. Nothing happened. I was all alone."

He frowns. "That sounds worse than a nightmare."

My frown intensifies. "Hai."

He leans down to touch my lips with his, and then he leaves to let me get dressed.

* * *

Suna is _hot_. I'm not sure how Lee-kun and Gai-sensei can stand to walk around in those jumpsuits in this _heat_. I eventually tie my hair up. I see all these people in these long robes, and it's a wonder that they don't all die of heat strokes.

Who lives like this?

* * *

I'd forgotten how much the Kazekage frightens me.

I know that Gaara-sama has changed since the first time I met him—when he nearly destroyed Lee-kun's lifelong dream—but time hasn't gotten rid of the coldness in his ice-blue eyes. I _know _that he's a different person, but still…

He seems sincere when he thanks us for the scroll, but my heart nearly stops when he looks directly at Lee-kun. His eyes drift momentarily to me, and then back to Lee-kun.

"You seem to be looking better," he says. "Are you back up to your old standards?"

Lee-kun grins, and bows his head in respect. "Better than my old standards, in fact. Thank you for your concern."

"And thank you for escorting my nee-san to Konoha."

A sour-looking blonde steps towards us from the Kazekage's side, and I notice Tenten-chan's face curl up in an unconscious scowl. I guess she never really got over the embarrassment this Suna kunoichi caused her at their first Chunin Exam. Tenten and her weapons master's pride…

Temari-san scowls at the five of us, and then at her brother. "I don't need to be escorted anywhere. I could get there on my own just fine."

Gaara-sama rolls his eyes, but otherwise ignores her.

* * *

­­­­­­­­­It seems like the only Temari-san knows how to do is scowl, sigh, and complain. I mean, she has a point—besides Gai-sensei, she's the oldest, so why should we be escorting her anywhere?—but does she seriously have to bring it up every ten minutes?

For perhaps the hundredth time, the Kazekage's sister sighs. "How much _longer?_" she whines.

Tenten-chan looks back at her. "We've been walking for about two hours and it's a five-day walk." She is trying her best to be polite to the Suna delegate, but she is obviously on Tenten-chan's last nerve.

Temari-san sighs again.

Iiiiiiiiiiihale. Exhaaaaaaaale. God, she's annoying.

Lee-kun winds his arm around my waist, and pulls me up against his hip.

"She's not a content person by nature," I say under my breath, so low that the Suna kunoichi has no chance of hearing me.

"Neither are you," Lee-kun replies, a smile evident in his voice. "They say that we hate most in others what we hate most in ourselves."

I process that for a few moments of comfortable silence.

"What about love?"

"And we cannot love others until we love ourselves."

I give him a funny look.

"Well, if that's the case, I love myself very, very much."

He grins, and punches the air above his head. "So do I!" he shouts, causing everyone to turn their heads and raise at least one eyebrow.

Temari-san sighs again. "_Five days?_" she moans, sounding for the world like a dying woman.

"YES!" Neji-kun and Tenten-chan shout at the same time. They share an embarrassed glance and look away, blushing.

Temari-san sighs and then finally shuts up. Maybe she's realized that she cannot simply make time go faster by sheer force of will.

Wrong. She was simply thinking of something else to say.

"You know, if Gaara-kun had trusted me to go alone, I could just use the wind to fly to Konoha on my fan," she says, patting the fan in question, which is strapped securely to her back.

"Congratulations," Tenten-chan snarls at the same time that Neji-kun growls, "Good for you."

Another embarrassed glance.

Peacemaking, Gai-sensei says, "You must be quite powerful to be able to ride the winds."

She grins, but there is something slightly mocking about the expression. "I've always been powerful, and the whole wind thing just comes naturally to me."

"Do you have a kekkei genkai?"

She laughs. "No, just a knack for it."

He smiles, and everyone falls silent.

"The sun is still so far up in the sky," she says, breaking the serenity.

"You're not really in a walking mood, are you?" Tenten-chan says dryly.

"Perceptive," Temari-san mutters, not a bit of respect in her tone.

Stony-Face sends the Suna kunoichi a glare that could make Orochimaru quiver in his jockey shorts, not needing to say a word to get her to stop in her tracks for a full five seconds.

* * *

Sundown. Temari-san is the first to go to sleep, so she takes Neji-kun's usual spot by the back of the tent. Unwillingly, Tenten-chan sleeps beside her, and then Neji-kun, then Gai-sensei, and then Lee-kun and I take our usual spots.

It is warm and muggy. The pressure is uncomfortable. I think a storm is coming. I wonder if the Land of Wind gets a lot of rain. Maybe this is one of those rare storms that keep the vegetation alive.

I hope it isn't a flash flood, or we'll drown in our sleep.

Lee-kun is already asleep, and there is nothing left for me to do but follow suit.

* * *

_**Do you think that maybe tonight I could have a happy dream? **_

_**What's the point?**_

_**The atmosphere is heavy, and my ears are ringing. Lee-kun lies in the middle of a clearing, blood seeping out of his left ear. I want to run to him, but something tells me to stay put.**_

_**I hear a scream in a young man's voice, and I see a pair of men, one hunched over, his arms being held behind his back by the second man, who has his foot on the first's back.**_

_**With a thud of horror, I recognize this scene. I see the black marks all over the second man's skin, the red eyes, the demonic smirk.**_

_**A younger demon, the one I would have gladly given my life for in the past.**_

_**He tosses the Oto ninja to the side, and then looks at the other man, the one who hurt Lee-kun.**_

_**He steps toward him.**_

_**On instinct, I run to the demon and wrap my arms around him, knowing by memory that this will make the curse mark disappear, make him the regular old Sasuke-kun instead of the Demon. This hug will make everything better.**_

_**I am wrong.**_

_**The demon looks at me, grabs me, and then tosses me to the side, leaving me to land roughly across the clearing. My head hits a rock, and I struggle to remain conscious.**_

_**The demon kills the remaining two Otonin, and then walks away, leaving the rest of us to bleed.**_

* * *

I open my eyes, and it is still dark.

I think I might have realized what my subconscious has been trying to tell me with all these nightmares.

"He really is a demon," I whisper to no one in particular.

I half-expect someone to reply, "Who?" but everyone is still sound asleep.

Inhale. Exhale.

I can't bring myself to close my eyes. I realize that there is a light coating of sweat on my brow, and I groan out loud. I am exhausted, but I'm not going to risk another nightmare. I'll stay up all night, but there is no way in hell that I'm going back to sleep tonight.

At least that's what I tell myself exactly six seconds before I fall unconscious from exhaustion.

* * *

**_I'm tired of this. Why can't I just _sleep** _**for once? **_

_**I sit in a tree, just off a path. I wish I could just close my eyes and block it all out, but of course that would be too easy. **_

"_**Do you see them?" a smooth voice asks.**_

_**I jump up. This is a voice I haven't hurt since…since Sasuke-san was first taken. I look to the side to see Orochimaru's henchman, Kabuto. Next to him…is the demon. Obviously, he is not talking to me. I wonder if they even see me.**_

"_**What about them?"**_

"_**Orochimaru-sama wants them gone."**_

"_**Why?" **_

"_**Does that matter?"**_

"_**One of them is just a child."**_

_**This surprises me. I once more look down at the path to see a large family—or at least a couple of families—walking by. I count them quickly. Four men, two women, and a little girl.**_

_**Oh, God, don't tell me. I'm having this nightmare a night late.**_

"_**Your point being?"**_

"_**Maybe I don't feel like condemning myself to—"**_

"_**You're wasting daylight, Sasuke."**_

_**Sasuke-san grits his teeth, gives Kabuto a withering look, and then jumps down from the tree, as silent as a housecat. Unable to look away, I watch as he silently trails the family, sinking back into the forest any time any of them gets a little flustered.**_

_**Finally, the little girl gets fussy and sits down in a clearing built into the road, close to the trees, causing her family to stop and look at her with annoyed eyes. Obviously knowing that there is no reasoning with her until her feet stop hurting, the adults start conversing among themselves.**_

_**The end is coming.**_

_**Sasuke-san slithers out of the forest, and makes sure not to attract attention as he grabs her and slits her young, white throat. Neither of them makes a sound, but I let out a loud, breathless, "**_**NO!**"

_**The rest is horrifying, but predictable. After about three minutes, Sasuke-san stands in the middle of a bloody carpet, staring petulantly at the statue-still people around him.**_

_**And then he chuckles.**_

* * *

I shoot awake, sitting up in a cold sweat. My breathing is fast and strained, and it is still so damn humid. I can't stand it. I grab my hair by the roots and tug, for some reason angry that my scalp is too strong to let any of my hair come out in my fingers. I groan again, and hurriedly get dressed. I storm out of the tent, and sit down on a log, burying my face in my hands. I break down and cry. Maybe I should just develop insomnia. That would be better than these dreams.

I don't bother with reminding myself to breathe. My breathing is too shallow for it to do any good, so I just cry.

A few minutes after I made my escape, a green figure appears from the mouth of the tent. He sees me hunched over, soggy from the mist, and he sighs. Without saying a word, he sits beside me and wraps his arms around my heaving shoulders. I melt into his comforting body, knowing that he'll protect me from anything and everything, and that I have no reason to be so afraid.

I swear, Lee-kun is my frickin' savior.

Inhale. Exhale.

* * *

**_Lovely how Inner Sakura puts two and two together, however imaginary. Tenten says "monster," Sakura thinks, "Sasuke," and a day later, Inner Sakura has a beautifly horrifying account of what could have happened with those civillians. Hehe. (I don't plan on explaining the massacre, so i guess you guys can leave it to your wonderfully youthful imaginations.)_**

**_Next chapter will end this fic. I don't know if i'll upload it today, or make you wait until tomorrow. Depends on how bored I get today. (Sheepish grin, followed by a nice-guy pose.) Oh yeah, i added a new term today. Nee-san is a term of affection for an older sister. If Gaara had been talking about Kankuro, he would've said Nii-san. (Teeth twinkle.) And Oto is the Sound Village. (wink.)_**

**_Thanks again to my faithful readers and/or reviewers. Specifics are always appreciated._**


	7. Closure At Last

**_I'm a little depressed. This is the last chappy of this fic, and it's so short...After this i'll be stuck with nothing but oneshots until i get another big inspiration. And to top it off, i've got a small case of writers' block. i keep coming up with random sentences for new fics, but it always stops before i can really get into the groove._**

**_Anyways, thank you so much to those who've stuck with me and my little fic from the beginning. You're all the best. It is the reviewers who gave me the confidence to keep this story going, and my hat is off to all of you._**

**_Heh. By the way i talk, you'd think i've been writing this fic for years. _**

**_Enjoy, buds._**

* * *

­­­We should make it home tonight or early tomorrow morning. Temari-san hasn't sighed since we told her we were almost home. She almost seems…too eager to complain. I can't imagine why.

Stony-Face and Tenten-chan are simply hilarious. They keep having these awkward moments when they say things at the same time or meet each other's gazes only to find that they can't look away. And then they'll realize what they're doing, and look away, all red-faced. All in unison. I swear, they're a perfect match for each other.

It's been raining since we left Suna. Almost like the rain clouds are following us. Not the happiest of omens.

Temari-san seems to be on the brink of laughter. "Why is it that the rain starts _as soon _as I leave Suna?"

"What do you mean?" Gai-sensei asks for all of us.

She sighs for the first time since breakfast. "Suna is a desert village, so rain only comes a couple of times a year." Another sigh. "There's always a big festival when the showers come. There's dancing and music and circuses, and flowers _everywhere__**.**_ But I _guess _the Chunin Exams are more important. But then again…" She looks morosely up at the sky, letting the water splash her face.

"Does it rain a lot in Konoha?" she asks, looking at Sensei.

He smiles. "Relatively. Enough that we have flowers year-round, except for in the dead of winter."

She sighs, but it is a happy, content sound. "That sounds nice. You get tired of cactus flowers after years of nothing but."

Wow. So there is a human inside of all her pretenses.

"Well, then, you'll like Konoha."

We get there at sundown, mainly due to the fact that Temari-san insisted on gliding on her fan the rest of the way, causing us to run just to keep up. This time, I'd run beside Lee-kun, and he willingly kept pace with me, even though I could tell that I was slowing him down.

At the gate, Temari-san hops down from her fan, waiting as we catch up.

With her escorts, she steps through the gates, only to stop and gape at our home.

"I'd forgotten how beautiful this place is," she murmurs.

Just as we arrive, Shikamaru-kun passes a building across the way from us.

Temari-san's eyes suddenly start sparkling. "_**HEY, CRYBABY!**_" she yells at the top of her lungs, much too loudly. I have no doubt in my mind that even her little brothers back in Suna heard her call.

A completely uncharacteristic eagerness lights up Shikamaru-kun's usually apathetic eyes. When he sees Temari-san, he smiles for a split second before frowning.

"Oi, Loudmouth. What are you doing in Konoha?"

She grins, scrunching up her eyes. "I'm the Suna delegate for the upcoming Chunin Exams."

His eyes widen by a millimeter, but when he speaks, his voice is toneless. "Well then, as troublesome as it is, I guess we're coworkers. I'm running the Chunin Exams this time around."

The Suna kunoichi's eyes widen just a bit, and a light blush touches her face, her smile showing that she considers _troublesome_to be a term of affection. "Well then, I guess I'll see you around," she says, not longer looking at him. Instead, she averts her gaze to Gai-sensei. "We should go report to your Hokage."

We set off again, and I look behind us to see Shikamaru-kun staring at the back of Temari-san's head, oblivious to my attention.

I wonder if Shikamaru-kun will have a new cloud-watching buddy anytime soon…

* * *

Lee-kun and I sit by the Creature's Lake, the place where I first proclaimed my love to him. The water has not changed in all these months. The Creatures must be neat-freaks.

This is _our_ place. No one else knows that it even exists. No one will ever bother us here. Here, we can be truly alone.

I think Lee-kun loves this place. Whenever we come here, he seems so at peace with the world. He doesn't worry about missions, or Konoha, or being a shinobi. The outside world can't touch us here. The only things that exist are me, Lee-kun, and the lake. The rest of the world is gone.

Inhale. Exhale.

Lee-kun lays back to look up at the sky. I join him, sprawling out on the ground, burying my face in his shoulder. His arms winds around my waist, pulling my body up against his. My face grows hot, and I'm sure I've turned pink. As far as our physical relationship goes, this is a little stretch on our usual comfort zones. By nature, we are both a little awkward, physically at least. Our sudden close proximity is strange, but I like it. I wrap my arms around him and close my eyes, noticing that he is a little warm, too.

"This is heaven," he murmurs.

"Hai. I don't want to ever move again. I'd happily stay here forever."

"You say something like that every time we come here."

"That's because I mean it."

Silence. Inhale. Exhale.

"Sakura-chan?"

"Nani?"

"I'm very happy that you're mine."

I snuggle closer into his body. "Me, too," I say into his chest.

"You're my life, Sakura-chan."

His taijutsu suit is very soft on the skin of my cheek. "I always will be. And you should know that the feeling is mutual. I wouldn't be able to go on if anything ever happened to you. But of course, you know that already."

He rolls onto his side, slings his other arm around my body, and links his hand around his other wrist. He lays his head down on my collarbone. "Let's never let anything happen to us," he whispers. "I couldn't bear it if I was the cause of your death, even if I was already waiting for you in the afterlife."

I kiss the top of his head, noticing that the weight on my chest is very soothing, rather than uncomfortable like you'd think it'd be. "I love you very, very much, Lee-kun."

He kisses my throat. "You have no idea how happy it makes me when you say that."

"I know how happy it makes _me _when you say it back."

"I love you very, very much, Sakura-chan," he replies obediently, sincerely.

I smile, and after half and hour of comfortable silence, I am asleep.

* * *

_**He is not the Red-Eyed Demon. He is not the curse-mark-covered monster that wouldn't care about my wishes even if I promised him mountains of wealth just so he wouldn't kill that Otonin Trio. He is not Sasuke-san.**_

_**He is Sasuke-kun. The young, beloved twelve-year-old that held my heart on a string for so long. Sure, he never wanted it, but he'd held it. Obviously Inner Sakura wants me to remember that.**_

_**Inner Sakura can shove it.**_

_**I turn away from him, but I am distracted when I notice that the action causes my hair to caress my elbows. I look at my body, and I am shocked to see that I, too, am twelve. Weirdo dream.**_

"_**Sakura-chan?" **_

_**His good, young voice automatically sends a shock through my system. My subconscious—despite the months of nothing but that new, imagined, horrifying voice—has his old voice stored perfectly, a flawless echo of what it had been in real life. I instinctively turn to face him, for some reason surprised to see that he is still there.**_

"_**What the hell do you want?"**_

_**He gapes at me. Obviously, I have never spoken to him like this before. Even in my dream, he is shocked. "What did I ever do to you?"**_

_**Annoyed that he doesn't remember how badly he hurt me, I sigh loudly. "Listen, Sasuke-kun, we've got to talk."**_

_**He raises an eyebrow. "Do we really?"**_

"_**Yeah, we do."**_

"_**About?"**_

"_**I—"**_

"_**And make it quick. I don't have all day."**_

**Twitch.** _**Even in my dreams he doesn't give me any respect. **_

"_**Sasuke-kun…I need to tell you…"**_

"_**And please don't say that you love me."**_

_**My face gets hot against my will. "That's not what this is about."**_

"_**Then get to the point."**_

_**I grind my teeth. I try to remember to breathe, but my breaths are shallow and angry, so I don't bother. After all, if this is a dream, then I don't really need to go through my regular functions.**_

"_**Sasuke-kun, the point is…that I've found someone else."**_

_**He smirks. "Good for you." He waits, and then scowls. "What, that's it?"**_

"_**Uh, yeah."**_

"_**And you felt the need to tell me…why?"**_

"_**I thought you'd like to know…do you want to know who?"**_

_**I couldn't care less about what loser decided to be yours. Can I go now? I've got to go train."**_

_**I let out a frustrated puff of air through my nostrils. "Sure. Whatever."**_

"_**See ya later, Sakura-chan."**_

_**He walks away.**_

**What a dick.**

"_**Goodbye, Sasuke-kun," I whisper. After all, all I ever wanted was a chance to say goodbye.**_

_**I turn away, and I see my Lee-kun running towards me, waving. **_

"_**Sorry I'm late, Sakura-san. It took longer than I thought to run around the Village 500 times backwards."**_

_**I smile at him. "Don't worry about it."**_

"_**Who were you talking to?"**_

_**I grimace. "Just some loser."**_

_**He cocks his head to the side at my expression, shakes it off, and then takes my hand. Just like a cheesy scene should always end, we walk away into the sunset.**_

* * *

I open my eyes.

As strange as it might sound, I think I just had a happy dream. And I think I finally have closure.

Inhale. Exhale. I look at Lee-kun, asleep in my arms, and know that everything will be okay, even if I never see Sasuke-san…kun in this life again. As long as I have my green love right here, nothing can touch me.

My life was good. But my new life is perfect.

* * *

**_Don't you love how i managed to work the title into the last sentence? Don't you think that was a good way to wrap it all up? Starting the fic (including Breathing) with a nightmare and ending it with a happy dream? _**

**_So, anyways, thanks again. Hopefully it won't be too long until I get to talk to you all agian. (Just depends on how long it takes me to come up with an acceptable oneshot.)_**

**_FLUFF FOREVER!!_**

**_Ja na,_**

**_Miyazaki A2_**


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